by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 20
First published 2016
John Rebus struggles with civilian life after leaving the police force. Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke investigates the killing of government prosecutor David Minton. The death looks like a robbery, but nothing was stolen from his house. Clarke finds an threatening note at the crime scene. Malcolm Fox works surveillance on a Glasgow crime family after his colleagues shunned him for his past in internal affairs. He helps Clarke because it makes him feel like a real detective again. Cafferty calls Rebus when someone shoots through his window and leaves him a note matching the one found with Minton. The old gangster fears for his life but cannot identify his enemy. He asks Rebus for protection. Clarke, Fox, and Rebus work together as the cases merge. They discover Cafferty's past connects to Minton's death. The prosecutor's powerful friends hide their involvement in a terrible crime. Rebus must save the man he once fought to bring down.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, redemption, team-up
Setting: Glasgow, Scotland
Period: contemporary
347 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: violence